Vreeland's fictionalised tale of painter Artemisia Gentileschi is a must-read. I could hardly put this down once I began reading. She melds fiction and history into a wonderfully engaging tale.
Helpful Score: 3
I really enjoyed this book and have recommended it to several people. Artemisia is a real painter in renaissance Italy but the story is fictional. Susan Vreeland really combines the real aspects of Artemisia's life with the fiction beautifully. This book had me researching Artemisia to see her paintings. You can find them on-line by doing a simple search. It is interesting to see the paintings that has been described in the book.
Helpful Score: 2
A thought-provoking portrait of Renaissance painter Artemisia Gentileschi. Artemisia is a woman who was brutalized by her father's contemporary, persecuted by the court system, married off to a man she didn't know to save her father's reputation and all the while she still managed to express an amazing amount of painterly talent while bucking the traditonal "man's domain" of art. Very well written with rich, period details and a great deal of emotion. A tale that is not easily forgotten.
Helpful Score: 1
I thought this was superbly written. Vreeland's writing style is so beautiful and vivid. I thought there was wonderful character development...the reader goes through life with Artemisia and discovers life truths along with her. I think this is the best novel by Vreeland. An excellent read, I highly recommend it.
Helpful Score: 1
This is a great book. It has to do with a woman painter in old-time Italy. She went through a lot in this book. She was raped as a teenager and brought her rapist to trial, where the rapist said she was a whore. After the trial she gets married off by her father to a poor painter with a wandering eye... it was really good.
